


Babysitting

by bethagain



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Babyfic, Ben as a baby, Gen, I couldn't resist, starfighter pilots and a baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-20
Updated: 2016-03-20
Packaged: 2018-05-27 20:39:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6299605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bethagain/pseuds/bethagain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leia's busy with a high-level Alliance meeting, Han has the flu. That means Luke's in charge of baby Ben today, even if he has a briefing to lead and a mission to plan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Babysitting

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a gorgeous piece of art by rngrn on tumblr. Admire it here: <http://rngrn.tumblr.com/post/140748851299>

Commander Skywalker shows up to the mission briefing with a baby carrier slung across his chest. 

“He coming along?” asks Wedge Antilles, with a grin.

Ben looks at the fighter pilots in their semi-circle. Bright eyes, his back against Luke’s chest, arms and legs sticking out and wriggling.

“Leia’s at a strategy meeting,” Luke says. “Han’s got the flu.”

The pilots are in their orange flight-suits, helmets on knees or tucked under arms. They all have white flack vests and life support packs and tall black boots.

Ben’s in his jammies. They’re pale blue with a repeating pattern of a Wookiee family, looking way more cuddly than anyone who knows Chewbacca (but doesn’t know him _well_ ) would imagine. 

Luke keys up the holoprojector. A star field fills the space between him and the other pilots. 

“You know the Empire took major losses at the battle above Travant III,” he says, and they nod as one of the stars enlarges and planets become visible around it. 

They’d been there, most of them. The new recruit at the edge of the circle (the only one goggling at the presence of a baby) is with them because of that battle. Because Red Six didn’t make it home.

Ben reaches for one of the planets, and Luke automatically, but gently, pushes his hand away. The planet shrinks down and the one next to it expands to show surface features. The holoprojector zooms in on the straight lines of man-made buildings. “This is the base on Travant IV. They lost almost all their fighters.”

Luke looks through the holo at his squadron. Ben’s gaze matches his, big brown eyes below blue ones, and his stare is just as penetrating. 

“They’re basically undefended,” Wedge says, directing his response to the baby. “Aren’t they, Ben? What do you think we should do?”

Ben gurgles. 

“Wedge,” Luke says.

“Sorry sir.” But Wedge is smiling and clearly not sorry at all, and then Luke says, “What _do_ you think Ben?” and Ben waves his hands happily.

“I think so too, sir,” says another of the pilots. 

“Best chance we’re going to have,” agrees the woman next to him.

“OK,” Luke says. “The Empire will be back soon with reinforcements, so we only have a small window to get this done.” He presses a button on the holo console and the straight lines of the base expand again, into a maze of roadways and buildings. Ben watches, mesmerized. 

“They still have shields, and there is a still a small contingent of Imperial ships above the planet. We think they’re doing repairs, but we’re not sure how far along those are. Let’s talk about how we’re going to do this.”

Luke steps back as, one at a time, the men and women of his squadron step forward to examine the schematics of the base and the ships in the sky above it. It’s his way of doing this, now: he’s discovered that if he lets the squadron figure it out, they’ll take the most pride in the mission. They’ll also be more likely to stay and fight, even when the smart money is on turning tail. 

Red Squadron wins a lot of battles. Commander Skywalker praises them for bravery and tries not to think about how many pilots they’ve lost.

Ben puts a hand out for the holo again but now it’s out of reach. He gurgles a protest, which turns into a whine and then a wail. Luke, intent on his team, reaches for the blaster at his hip. Checking to be sure it’s powered off and the safety is on, he offers it to the baby, holding the heavy weapon in one hand as Ben wraps his fingers around the power cell and chews on the handgrip.

The newest member of Red Squadron gapes at him. “Sir, are you sure that’s--”

“Go on,” Wedge interrupts, bumping the new Red Six with his shoulder. “Your turn to check out those schematics.”

The new Red Six goes.

Wedge gets up and crosses right through the holoprojection to get to Luke. He doesn’t ask, he just takes away the blaster, puts it back in its holster, and lifts Ben out of the carrier into his arms. 

Ben wails. But he quiets as Wedge bounces him up and down, making circle after circle around the holo.

“I can take him, Wedge,” Luke says after a while, when everyone else has examined the configuration of the base and the ships above it, and sat back down. Instead, Wedge hands Ben off to the new Red Six, who holds him stiffly on his knee, hands under his armpits, like he’s never touched a baby before.

“It’s ok,” Luke says, taking Ben back again. “You’ll get the hang of it,” which is what he says to every new recruit as they make their inevitable mistakes. Except usually it’s cutting the angle too close on re-entry, or forgetting to account for velocity when estimating turbolaser range, or not knowing how much damage means it’s time to bail out.

But Ben’s tired now and fussing, and bouncing and walking doesn’t help.

So the mission planning pauses for a minute while Luke settles the baby back into the carrier, snuggled in with Ben’s face against his chest now, and the new Red Six stares as _Commander Luke Skywalker_ sings a lullaby to this little dark-haired boy in his Wookiee footie pajamas, and the rest of Red Squadron, feared around the galaxy for their ruthlessness, _joins in._

Half an hour later, plans made and assignments given, the other pilots head for their starfighters while Luke ducks back to quarters to tuck the baby in.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my gosh look at this [beautiful drawing of Wedge and Ben](http://drinkupthesunrise.tumblr.com/post/142364214746/wedge-gets-up-and-crosses-right-through-the) by [yunmin](http://archiveofourown.org/users/yunmin/pseuds/yunmin)!
> 
> This is the first time anyone has drawn anything from one of my fics, and it made my day many times over. Thank you!


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